Scammer turns tables on casino surveillance

A casino security consultant says a scam artist probably hijacked security cameras at Crown Casino to pull off a scam which has reportedly cost the casino $32 million. That can be done using equipment which is readily available in an electronics shop.

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SALLY SARA: Melbourne's Crown Casino has fallen victim to a sophisticated betting scam, which is said to be worth more than $30 million.

The casino has sacked an employee who was looking after a big spending patron.

It's believed the scam may have involved turning the casino's own network of surveillance cameras against it, by using equipment which can be bought from an electronics shop.

But, the management of the casino is not commenting on speculation and says it's confident of getting some of the money back.

Simon Lauder reports from Melbourne.

SIMON LAUDER: If you walk away from a casino richer than when you arrived you're lucky, but one high roller had more than luck on his side.

It's what Crown Casino is calling a sophisticated betting scam.

The casino is not confirming the exact details of the scam, but Las Vegas-based casino consultant Barron Stringfellow has seen it all before. It's his job to stay one step ahead of the scammers.

BARRON STRINGFELLOW: It really doesn't surprise me that in a world of greed, which casino is, that we would be surprised that something like this happened. The casino wanted the big player and the big player took down the casino.

SIMON LAUDER: Crown casino has high resolution cameras that can pan, tilt and zoom-in on gaming tables, with extra surveillance and security in the premium gaming rooms.

Melbourne's Herald Sun newspaper says the scammers somehow accessed that system to rort a card game and come away with $32 million.

Crown says the scam was reported by its surveillance department, and a VIP service staff member has now been dismissed.

Deakin University researcher Linda Hancock has written a book about Crown Casino.

LINDA HANCOCK: The Crown Casino has about six or seven Lear jets, it flies these VIPs in so how it all works is that these people have a minder. The person had his family with him, that's not uncommon either. They come in, they look after the family while the high roller gambles.

SIMON LAUDER: It's hard to know what really happened because Crown Casino won't comment on the amount the gambler took away, the technique involved, or any involvement of its own staff member in the scam.

Professor Hancock says $32 million is a realistic win for a high roller.

LINDA HANCOCK: They're bringing these people in, especially from Asia, they're bringing premium players in. It's not uncommon for these big whales to be betting those sorts of amounts.

SIMON LAUDER: Consultant Barron Stringfellow says it's not hard to hijack a surveillance system to get the upper hand.

BARRON STRINGFELLOW: You know, this is a fairly simple scam. They have an earpiece, they had some wireless equipment and apparently they made $32 million.

SIMON LAUDER: What kind of equipment would be involved?

BARRON STRINGFELLOW: Standard equipment that you can get at any Radio Shack. The first thing they needed to do was intercept the Crown Casino surveillance room signals. These are all run along wires, some are wireless, some are wired, and intercepting them is simple as going down to a local Radio Shack or electronics store and picking up the equipment that you'd need to do it.

Wireless earpieces are available on magic sites for mind readers. Of course casino cheaters use them too and the earpiece would just drop down into the players ear so as the cameras are recording the play on the table, the person back at the bungalow or in a room or in a van outside can tell the punter exactly what cards are distributed around the table and what they might want to do with their cards for optimum bet.

SIMON LAUDER: So essentially turning the casino's own surveillance system against them?

BARRON STRINGFELLOW: Absolutely, with probably an investment on their end of about $US3,200, a profit of $32 million.

SIMON LAUDER: We're not used to hearing about these goings on and do you think these things happen more than the public is aware of?

BARRON STRINGFELLOW: I absolutely know that they happen more than the public is aware of. This just doesn't make good media for the casinos to say that they've been ripped off. It is just not good for their PR.

SIMON LAUDER: The casino says it's confident of getting a substantial amount of the money back. How would that happen?

BARRON STRINGFELLOW: Well, I'm pretty confident that unless they were holding some of the money in safekeeping for say AUSTRAC (Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre) for tracking that once they got the punter off of their property, chances are zero that they'll get any money back that's in his possession.

SIMON LAUDER: The suspected scam artist has reportedly left the country. He's now banned from the Crown Casino complex.

Crown Casino says it is liaising with Victoria's gambling regulator and the police over the scam.

The casino says there are no material losses, so it hasn't reported the matter to the Australian Stock Exchange.